Nicholas John De Luca topped Scotland's individual tackle count in their historic victory over Argentina in the first Test of the 2010 summer tour.  It was the first time in eight Tests that a visiting team had won an international in that city. Nick made his international debut as Scotland’s outside centre in the RBS Six Nations Championship match against France at Murrayfield in February 2008, and he was in that role also against Wales at the Millennium Stadium six days later. After two replacement caps (v Ireland and in the second Test in Argentina) he returned to the starting line-up against New Zealand in November 2008 and continued as inside centre for the subsequent matches against South Africa and Canada. He was omitted from the match squad against Wales in Scotland’s opening game in the 2009 Six Nations, but he made a replacement appearance against France in Paris six days later.

Nick’s first cap followed on from Scotland appearances in every age group as well as Scotland A and the international seven-a-side squad. His seven-a-side debut was in the IRB Emirates Airline Dubai tournament in November 2004 before he travelled on to the South African event in George the following week. He was also a member of the Scotland team who drew 33-33 with Argentina in the sevens curtain-raiser at Murrayfield during the November 2005 Autumn Tests. He was selected for the IRB tournaments in Wellington, NZ, and Los Angeles, USA, and helped Scotland pick up the bowl from both events before being selected for the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia, and IRB Hong Kong Sevens. His injury-time try against Tonga in the final of the USA bowl competition secured a 26-21 win and the silverware.

He was in the Scotland A squads in the Churchill Cup tournaments in 2006 (Canada) and 2007 (England), playing in two games each year. He had three more Scotland A appearances in the IRB Nations Cup tournament in Bucharest in June 2009. Following the 2007 Churchill Cup he was among five uncapped players included in Scotland’s World Cup preparation squad.

Nick has played for Scotland also at under-16, under-18, under-19 and under-21 levels. He was left wing in all four of Scotland’s matches in the 2003 world junior championship in France, and he played in the Scottish Districts under-21 team’s two wins against New Zealand Youth in November 2003, scoring a try in the Stirling match, before making his under-21 international debut in the match against the Welsh at Bridgend in February. He went on to play in all five of Scotland’s under-21 matches in 2004 and then all 10 the following year, including the world championship in Chile.

A former pupil of Lockberie Academy, Nick was an apprentice with Edinburgh Gunners in season 2005-2006 before he joined Border Reivers. His competition debut for Reivers was in the Netherdale match against Connacht on the 2006-2007 Magners League’s opening day, and at the end of that season he returned to Edinburgh.